Gun Team, Crimea 1855

This contemporary photo is not very clear but the gun and limber can be seen, as can the draught horses and riders. There were two Horse Artillery batteries (or Troops) sent out to the Crimea; ‘C’ and ‘I’ Troops. ‘C’ Troop, attached to the Light Division, was equipped as a RA field battery before it left Varna i.e. four 9-pounders and two 24-pounder howitzers. ‘I’ Troop, attached to the Cavalry Division was armed with four 6-pounders and two 12-pounder howitzers. The gun carriages for the 6 and 9-pounder guns was same. The length of a 6-pounder barrel was 5 feet, the 12-pound howitzer gun barrel was 3 feet 9.5 inches. It would be safe to assume that the Troop in this photo is ‘I’ Troop with a 6-pounder gun hooked up to the limber.
Two gunners are seated on the limber and there are eight horses harnessed up with four drivers mounted on the nearside. The Campion prints of 1846 all show the guns drawn by a team of four horses while images of gun teams post-Crimea have six draught horses. It seems that the condition of the horses in the Crimean War was not up to the standard of the home units so more of them were needed to cope with the hard work.

Regimental Details | RHA in Action